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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Patryn of Elvenshae" data-source="post: 3827648" data-attributes="member: 23094">However, you can design the rules such that a newbie DM creating a classic adventure scenario (Descend into the crypts and retrieve the foozle!) doesn't completely hose his equally newbie players.Yep - now, I totally agree that the DM could have done a better job in statting the pregens.  On the other hand, the very fact that the DM must be careful when statting the pregens to keep one character from being relatively useless* might just be indicative of an issue.* - Relatively useless in combat, at least.  DR 5 is tough to overcome when your weapons are daggers and a shortbow and you don't have much of a Strength bonus.The fact that you just went on to demonstrate two particular classes that should not be handed to newbies, I think, goes a long way in illuminating my points.Of course there were skill checks aplenty over the course of the adventure.  Unfortunately, the rogue's player didn't show up for the rest of the adventure; his first session was, in fact, that bad (apparently).  IIRC, he spent a lot of time in combat unconscious because he tumbled into useful flanking posiitons but lacked the hit points and the AC in order to stick around for more than a round or two once he got there.  Tumbling into useful flanking positions also has a tendency to move him away from the clerical support.Remember, we're dealing with a classic D&D scenario: The party starts at the dungeon entrance*, which, in this case, is one of those extensive underground mausoleums just teeming with the restless dead.Would he eventually get to find the trap and pick the lock?  Yes.However, how much table time is devoted to those activities rather than combat in your average D&D game?  I suspect that the time is much more heavily weighted towards combat.  And when you're a low-level rogue, spending a lot of time in combat with undead sucks.* - In point of fact, the party did not start at the dungeon entrace.  It started way back in town, and we had lots of interesting encounters on the way to the dungeon.  Like I said, the DM was usually a pretty good DM.  The rogue's player joined is mid-campaign for a single session.  However, from the rogue's player's perspective the travel from town to the dungeon was handwaved, exactly as it was done over the course of multiple games in which I've played over the years (including some computer games, as well!).</blockquote>

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